CVE-2017-0922 in Enterprise Edition
Summary
by MITRE
Gitlab Enterprise Edition version 10.3 is vulnerable to an authorization bypass issue in the GitLab Projects::BoardsController component resulting in an information disclosure on any board object.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/15/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-0922 affects GitLab Enterprise Edition version 10.3 and represents a critical authorization bypass flaw within the Projects::BoardsController component. This issue stems from insufficient access control validation mechanisms that fail to properly verify user permissions before exposing sensitive board-related information. The flaw allows unauthorized users to access board objects and their associated data, creating a significant information disclosure risk for organizations utilizing this version of GitLab. The vulnerability specifically impacts the project management and collaboration features where board objects contain sensitive project data, including task assignments, timelines, and team member information that should remain restricted to authorized personnel only.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the GitLab Projects::BoardsController where the authorization checks are improperly configured or missing entirely for certain board operations. When users attempt to access board resources through the API or web interface, the system fails to validate whether the requesting user possesses adequate permissions to view or interact with the specific board object. This authorization bypass occurs due to inadequate input validation and insufficient role-based access controls that should normally enforce the principle of least privilege. The flaw can be exploited by any authenticated user within the system regardless of their actual project membership or permission level, effectively allowing them to traverse access controls and retrieve information they should not normally be able to access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of GitLab Enterprise Edition and potentially exposes sensitive project data to unauthorized parties. Organizations utilizing affected versions may experience unauthorized access to confidential project information, including but not limited to task details, user assignments, project timelines, and collaborative work items. This exposure could lead to competitive intelligence theft, compliance violations, and potential regulatory penalties depending on the nature of the data involved. The vulnerability affects all board objects within the system, making it particularly dangerous as it could expose comprehensive project management data across multiple projects and teams, potentially compromising the entire collaborative environment.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-0922 should prioritize immediate patching of affected GitLab Enterprise Edition installations to version 10.4 or later, which contains the necessary authorization fixes. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring and logging controls to detect unauthorized access attempts to board resources, enabling security teams to identify potential exploitation attempts. Network segmentation and access control measures should be reviewed to limit exposure of GitLab instances to untrusted networks, while regular security audits should validate proper implementation of access controls. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses insufficient authorization issues, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1041 for data encryption, as unauthorized access to project information could enable further exploitation. Organizations should also consider implementing automated security scanning tools to identify similar authorization bypass vulnerabilities in their GitLab deployments and other collaborative platforms.